Self-taught Ranger
by PegacornLovesTempleRun
Summary: When Cendra, a self trained ranger, runs into Will, an apprentice ranger, she discovers just how much the Ranger Corps need her. Will she join forces of will something else get in the way? Rated K just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Yay, a new story :3 This will have 3 chapters, all I need to do is type them up since I wrote this in my notebook. Hope it's okay, please write a review with your opinions/comments/critiques!**

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Gliding up the thick branches of a huge birch, the young teen made sure to keep quiet the whole way. When she reached her preferred height, she pulled herself on a wide branch and perched there. After crossing her legs in front of her small frame, the girl made no further movement. Her long, dark hooded cloak helped her camouflage into the tree bark as only her eyes scanned the area below.

_Alright, time to pick a target, _she thought silently. She reached back and snatched an arrow with caution and positioned it on her longbow without a second guess. She scanned the area below her once more and slowly brought her bow up to eye level. Letting out a quiet breath, the girl drew back the bow-string and arrow with her left hand. Her intense, green-eyed gaze locked on her target and froze there, not blinking.

The target she had selected wasn't moving fast, but at a nice, forward pace. As it neared her place in the tree, she noticed with curiosity that the subject was wearing a cloak very similar to her own. It's gray-green color made the small figure blend in with the forest and fiddled with the mind.

The girl watched and almost lost track of her target as it came within her perfect shooting range. She then drew the arrow to its full length and pointed down at the figure. Almost as suddenly as the girl had moved, the figure knocked an arrow, drew, and fired at the girl in the birch tree. The girl immediately returned fire as she thrust herself out of the tree just before the arrow buried itself in the trunk. She landed on her feet with bent knees and another arrow put in place.

The figure, a few feet away from her, lowered its smaller, recurve bow to its side and began to speak in a low, unafraid voice.

"Just stand down," he said. "I only want to talk." He watched her intently from under his cloak's hood.

The girl didn't move and her chest heaved with her deep, almost nervous breathing. She left her weapon pointed at the small boy ahead of her for a few moments before she finally slipped the arrow back into her quiver and lowered the bow. Her breathing still came heavily and she slowly let it calm itself.

"Stay where you are," she warned in her low yet feminine voice.

"I'm not going anywhere, it's you who'll most likely move first," he replied calmly.

"I don't trust you. Remove your hood, state your full name and reason for being here," the girl demanded, gripping her bow even more tightly now.

"Will Treaty, apprentice ranger, returning home," he said clearly and slipped his hood to show a young, unconcerned face. "May I ask the same of you?"

The girl hesitated a moment before pushing her hood away so her full profile features were visible.

Cendra Swiftfoot, ranger practicing moving targets," she growled and tilted her head slightly upwards. The boy dipped his head in greeting and stared at her a moment before speaking again.

"Greetings, Cendra. Did I happen to interfere with this 'target practice'?" he asked, emphasizing "target practice".

"Yes, in fact, you have, Mr. Treaty," she replied through gritted teeth. "Now I must be getting on my way..."

"Hold up there. I'd like to know a few more things. Come," Will stopped her and indicated for her to follow.

"I still don't entirely trust you, apprentice ranger, and I need to be heading out," Cendra argued, but turned and cautiously fell into step at Will's shoulder.

"How long have you been out here, Cendra?" he asked after a few moments of none other than the sound of hushed footsteps.

"Eight years and counting," Cendra answered bluntly.

"Are you allies with anyone or even friends?"

"No."

"Are you a member of the Ranger Corps?"

"No."

"Are you aware of the Ranger Corps' existence?"

"Very."

"Have you ever had any encounters with the Ranger-"

"Enough questions! You're pestering me," Cendra snapped and forced herself not to shout. She'd never been bombarded with this many questions in such a short amount of time in her entire life.

_What a nosy kid, _she thought sourly and bit her lip to stop any insults that she would have loved to throw at him.

"I am only trying to find more about you so I can trust you enough to tell you a bit about myself," he said, completely oblivious to Cendra's severely annoyed tone and expression.

"Proceed," Cendra grumbled and waved her hand lazily.

"Thank you," Will said promptly. "As I was asking, have you had any encounters with the Ranger Corps?"

The female ranger sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes and I would like to leave it at that," Cendra warned. Will was finally silent for more than five seconds as he thought over the answers Cendra had given him.

Cendra was grateful of this silence between them and checked her surroundings quickly. Now they had traveled much deeper than Cendra had traveled in quite some time. The last time she had ventured this far, she had run into someone who she had no problem staying away from.

Cendra peered through the thick trees and could barely make out the small cabin up ahead.

_This is probably the place that he's been luring me to, _she thought inside her head and quickened her pace a little to catch with the apprentice again.

"Do you work for anybody?" Will asked when he glanced over to see the girl next to him again.

"No, I am completely independent," she replied, preparing for another wave of questions.

"Did you have a mentor at least?"

"No, I'm a self-taught ranger."

Will paused, then let out a low whistle. Cendra stopped when he did and she swiveled her eyes all around her once more. Out of the patch of trees, a small, shaggy pony trotted towards them and tossed his mane excitedly. Cendra jumped at the sudden appearance of the pony and watched him intensely as he approached them.

The pony caught sight of the girl and slowed his bouncy pace so that he could watch her from a distance for a longer amount of time.

"Tug, come here," Will coaxed.

Tug focused back on his master and snorted happily. He slowed to a walk and nuzzled Will when he halted in front of him. Will patted the pony's neck and turned his head to look at Cendra.

"Do you have a ranger horse?" he asked as he turned back to Tug and mounted him bareback.

"No, they'd give me away," she replied. "They also take too long to train."

Will shrugged and nudged Tug forward to a walk. Cendra lengthened her stride to stay at the pony's pace and stared warily at the cabin ahead.

"Do you live there?" Cendra asked.

"Yup," Will nodded. When they came within a few feet of the cabin's entrance, Will dismounted and motioned for Tug to go towards his small paddock. Tug flicked his ears in understanding and trotted back towards where another horse was grazing.

"Does someone else live here, too?" Cendra asked nervously.

"My mentor does," the boy replied and walked up to with Cendra a few paces back.

"Come on in," he said and the girl tiptoed up to the door.

Will opened it and walked right in. Cendra followed with much less confidence and stiffened at the sight of a small man across the room. He wasn't facing them, but Cendra knew exactly who it was.

"Who do you have with-," the man started to ask as he turned around. Cendra's eyes, round with fear, locked on the dark face across the room. She didn't dare move and held her breath.

"Why is she here?" the man asked his apprentice without taking his eyes off of the girl.

"Oh, she says she's a ranger, but she's not part of the Corps," Will replied, removing his cloak and placing it on a hook.

"I know that, but why did you bring her _here_?" the man asked angrily.

"Oh, I wanted to see if you knew what she was doing here."

"You were luring me here, weren't you?" Cendra growled at Will, glancing at him, then flicking her gaze back to the older ranger.

"Quiet, you," the man snapped at Cendra and motioned for Will to leave the room.

"I don't take commands from you, Halt," she spat and narrowed her eyes further. "I need to be on my way now." She turned and headed for the door.

"Not so fast. Let's just talk," Halt said with a frightening calmness in his tone.

"Exactly what your apprentice said. I have no time for this."

"Cendra."

Cendra froze where she was and me Halt's gaze again.

"I don't want anything to do with the Ranger Corps," she said slowly, not blinking and staring down the man.

"The Corps needs you," he replied with almost a plea hinting in his voice. Cendra picked it up at once and grinned.

"Halt? Pleading for help? Unheard of," she said quietly. Halt did not take this kindly and fought to keep the calm look on his face.

"Crowley has summoned you to meet him at castle Araluen tomorrow afternoon," Halt informed the girl and slid a small envelope from his pocket. He stepped forward and offered it out to the girl and she snatched it. Cendra tucked it in her belt, still watching the other ranger's every move.

"You are to report there at 1 o' clock sharp and do as he instructs," the man continued. "When you are finished, you are free to be on your way to wherever it is you need to be."

"Thank you for the instructions, Halt," Cendra growled and marched to the door." I really must be going now."

With that, she threw open the door and slammed it behind her. It was now past sunset and the first stars were peaking out of the sky. Cendra walked in silence and pulled her hood back over her head.

"This is going to be just great," she muttered to herself and stared at the ground as she trudged along. Her footsteps were barely audible due to her feet only covered in bandages. Cendra believed that boots made more noise than a herd of frightened horses and refused to wear them.

Suddenly, she froze where she was and quickly loaded her bow.

"Who's out there?" she asked in the direction the noise had come from.

"I mean you no harm," a voice replied immediately.

"Show yourself," Cendra demanded as she brought her bow up into position.

In the growing darkness, a tall, muscular boy stepped out from among the trees. Cendra paused a moment, caught off guard by his strikingly handsome features. She then quickly blinked a few times and recovered her harsh tone.

"I'm returning to headquarters," he replied after a second. "What are you doing here?"

Cendra stared at him and finally mustered up her words.

"R-returning to home," she stammered and nearly kicked herself.

_What is wrong with me? _she thought silently and lowered her weapon. The boy just stood there, staring back at her with a blank expression.

"What's your name?" he asked after a few awkward moments of silence between them.

"S-Swiftfoot," Cendra babbled then quickly added, "Cendra Swiftfoot."

The boy smiled and replied.

"I'm Horace, Horace Altman. You are a ranger?"

"Y-yes, I am," Cendra stammered again and continued to mentally beat herself up. "You-you're a knight?"

"Well, an apprentice knight," he said, gesturing to his sword's hilt at his side.

Cendra shook her head to clear some of the dizziness and forced a little smile back at the boy.

"I have to go now," she said hastily and started to shuffle by him. She stopped immediately at the soft touch on her arm.

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" he asked eagerly.

"Oh-okay, um, where, when?" Cendra asked as she glanced up into his blue eyes again. He smiled at her once more and thought for a moment. When he seemed happy with the choice he had made inside his head, he asked,

"How about the small creek down that way?"

"Sure, sure. G-goodbye, Horace."

"Bye, Cendra," the warrior apprentice said and continued on his way. Cendra stood there, frozen with what had just happened. When she recognized that it was almost black around her, she quickly sprinted off to her tiny cabin hidden in the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Cendra Swiftfoot stormed into the small town like an animal. She had no idea why she was following Halt's commands. She hadn't even touched the letter he had given her and she wasn't in the mood for the Ranger Corps. A few people glanced at her nervously as she made her way to the castle ahead.

"Miss Swiftfoot," a loud voice said behind the girl. She pivoted to face the direction of the sound and her mood dropped even further. A green and gray cloaked man was approaching her with too much confidence for her liking.

"What," Cendra said more like a statement than a question.

"I need to speak to you once more," Crowley said and beckoned her towards the forest.

Cendra sighed and followed unwillingly. A few yards in, the Corps leader stopped and turned to face the female ranger.

"The Ranger Corps needs you. Now more than ever. We've had two rangers retire and now we have nobody to station in those places," he informed.

"Just go stick some apprentices out there, there should be a few that are ready," Cendra argued but Crowley shook his head.

"We can't do that and you know that," Crowley said sternly. "I'm recruiting you without options."

Cendra immediately started to object, but the Corps leader held up a warning hand.

"If you've read my letter, you would have already known all of this."

Cendra yanked the envelope out of her belt and tore it open. She scanned it quickly, reading the almost exact words that the senior ranger had just said. The only thing new was the unspeakable for Cendra.

"You've already stationed me?!" she shouted in disbelief. "But I live here!"

Crowley just resumed staring at her and nodded.

"All I needed to see you for was to give you the oakleaf," he said and removed it from his pocket.

"I don't want or need that, thank you," Cendra snapped.

Before Crowley could say another word, the female ranger wheeled around and raced away at her maximum speed. Her bare feet allowed her to nimbly dodge rocks and other obstacles on her furious dash for home.

Just as she was beginning to slow down, blinding pain rushed through her entire body. Cendra gasped in shock and felt a second jolt of pain as she slammed into the ground. A low moan sounded from her right and she picked up her aching head to see what it was.

"Cendra?" the voice croaked and she immediately pushed herself up into a sitting position. She leaned herself up against a tree behind her and gasped at who she had run into.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry! Oh my gosh, I'm super sorry," she said and scrambled up with a slight wince.

"No, no. I'm fine," Horace said and rolled onto his back.

"Here," Cendra offered and held out her hand. He took it and the girl braced herself. She then pulled up, but lost her balance and fell directly on top of the boy. Both took sharp intakes of breath from the biting pain of the action.

Cendra started to apologize again, but Horace just shushed her. He grinned and commented,

"Guess that's what to expect when two people are running from something."

Cendra let out a small snicker and rolled off of the warrior apprentice and lay beside him. They lay there in silence for a while, then Horace finally decided to speak again.

"What were you running from?"

"Crowley, and you?"

"Three idiots."

"Seems like a valid answer to me," Cendra sighed and the small smile faded from her face.

"You're not in the Ranger Corps?" the apprentice asked a few moments later.

"I don't see why I need to be. I live here and I would have to be sent to another kingdom," Cendra replied with a hint of anger.

"I wouldn't want you to leave, either," Horace said softly, more to himself than to the ranger.

_Did he seriously just say that to _me? Cendra thought and her little smile returned.

"At least someone cares about me," the ranger commented quietly back and sat up again slowly. "I need to be going."

"So soon?" he asked as he sat up, too.

"Yeah, I have a little bit of work to do. Sorry I couldn't stay longer," she added in and stood up. She smiled farewell as the warrior apprentice stood up and waved to her. Then the girl took off running again. This time in a much better mood.


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks after the meeting with Crowley and tackling Horace, Cendra was quietly sitting in her cabin. She was fiddling with her throwing knife at the small wooden table, waiting for something. She was extremely jumpy and when the awaited knock on the door finally came, she nearly had a heart attack.

She knocked down her chair in attempt to get to the door and paid no attention to it. Cendra took a rushed deep breath and opened the door as slowly as she could. When it was wide enough to see who her visitor was, a pained look shot through her eyes.

"Hi," she said gloomily, feeling the slightest trace of tears welling in her eyes.

"I came to wish you best of luck in your new kingdom," he said with noticeable sadness. "I wish you could stay here."

"Me too," she replied and held her tears back the best she could. "You can come inside," she offered.

Cendra turned and walked back into the little cabin with Horace stepping in after her.

"I need to go and pick up the horse in a bit," the girl said blankly and carefully picked up her fallen chair. After she pushed it slowly under the table, she paused. A few minutes passed and both people just stood there, waiting for the other to move.

Then Cendra swiveled around and hurdled towards Horace. The apprentice warrior took a few steps back in surprise as the girl through herself into his arms. He wrapped them gently around her and grew even more depressed when he heard her soft, muffled sobbing.

"I don't want to leave," she said quietly.

"I don't want you to leave the most," Horace replied softly.

When Cendra pulled away, she couldn't look him in the eyes.

"I have to go now," she said bluntly when her breathing slowed enough to speak properly.

She turned around and walked briskly across the room. She lugged her saddlebags out the door. When Cendra turned around to go back inside, Horace was directly behind her. He leaned down slightly and kissed her cheek softly and smiled a little.

Cendra looked at him for a moment longer then through her arms around him once more. She let go a few moments later and grabbed her cloak, fastened it, and closed the door to the house.

Horace walked with the ranger to the stables and strolled alongside her short horse on the way back. She placed the saddlebags on the horse and laid her longbow across the pommel. She mounted quietly and nudged her horse forward. When Cendra twisted in her saddle to look back, Horace was still there.

He waved in farewell and the girl did the same. When she turned back, she took another deep breath and never looked back. Cendra Swiftfoot was alone again.


End file.
